大象传媒

There's no such thing as sustainable palm oil - see .

Oh, and it's not just in food and household products. W4B Renewable Energy have submitted plans for a palm-oil fuelled power plant in Avonmouth. Biofuels aren't the answer to our energy shortages - they deprive people of food crops and add to the deforestation problem.

I have already through our local paper asked the residents of Weymouth and Portland to try and watch Monday's programme. I feel as we have such a major project coming to our area it will be good to understand if Palm Oil is the way of the future, for our children and environment

Dear joni56, palm oil definitely isn't "the way of the future" if we want our children to feel grateful to us for caring for the environment. See

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Thank you for making a programme to bring people's attention to the devastating effect deforestation and palm oil plantations have on orangutans and hundreds of other species, as well as indigenous people. I would very much like to see your programme, but I live in Hong Kong. Do you have any idea if and/or when it will be screened on 大象传媒 World? Please could you let me know if you do.
Mara
Orangutan Aid - Hong Kong

Dear Maggie_Nelson I was being diplomatic, I went to the planning meeting to give my support to the anti palm oil campaigners, there was about 30 of us, by not preaching to the rest of the residents of Weymouth and Portland I am hoping that curiosity might get a few of them to watch the programme and make their own conclusions.

Are you aware that it is reported that oil palm plantations are going to be recorded as 'forests1 by the EC and will therefore attract carbon offsets the same as virgin rainforests ?

"Should it be approved next month, the Commission document would lend support to Indonesia's recently announced plan to establish millions of hectares of oil palm plantations as part of its national climate change action plan"

Allow me to point out that this means that virgin rainforest will be destroyed as part of a climate change action plan.

I'm compiling information on this issue as it is an outrage that the UK government is actually helping to fund this project.

Read this report and weep.

"02/09/2010 9:12 AM

Patih Laman, an 89 year-old tribal leader, on Saturday tried to relinquish his Kalpataru, Indonesia鈥檚 most prestigious environmental award, as a show of disappointment with the government鈥檚 inaction toward checking deforestation in his area.

Laman said he ran out of money to pay his hotel room in Riau, where he had spent three days waiting for an audience with Riau governor Rusli Zaenal, through whom he would have consigned his trophy to be sent back to Jakarta.

Also a recipient of a WWF award for his conservation effort, Laman wanted to show his disgust over rampant logging in and around Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, where the Talang Mamak tribe has lived for generations.

Laman had hoped local environmental activists would help pay for at least another two days at the hotel so that he could see the governor on Monday, but nobody offered him assistance, detik.com reported."

Kudos to you for reporting it. It is simply outrageous that virgin rainforests are being destroyed in the name of climate change action.

It is quite possible that the 'green' fuel that you are forced by EC law to have included in your petrol has been obtained by the destruction of rain forests. Doesn't that make you feel ill ?

How great to see Panorama taking on this issue of palm oil. Since my son visited Borneo, resulting in my adopting an orangutang at the Sepilok sanctury, I check everything for palm oil and I never knowingly buy anything where it is used. The total devistation of the forest for this oil is outragious. This oil is not needed for life threatening medicines. It is something we can do without in the westernworld.
If there is palm oil in the everyday things you buy, ask the company why they use it and where it's sourced. If they don't reply stop buying their product.

Educational and informative. Thank you Panorama. And thank you everyone who watched. Now let's watch out for the apes and save the orangutan.

Thanks to the 大象传媒 for bringing that to our screens. I will now look out for anything that I buy which may contain palm oil. Yes I realise that the people of Indonesia need to live but so do the orangutans. I am pleased to say that I work for a retail organisation which has been contributing to the replanting of the rain forests. However the greed of manufacturers and retailers knows no bounds. Let us all unite and say that orang utans and their natural habitat come before anything we in the west might think we need. We did without before. Why not make a stand now.

Penny

First time l have view Panorama web site after watching tonight's The Making of Dying for Biscuit l thank you for bringing this to us being a animal lover was sadden of the beautiful Orangutan their loss of their natural environment to survive because its being destroy for what? l didn't know any of this or what products have Palm oil in now l know so much more now more aware we need to save the rain forest for the Orangutan and also other wild life. will check now before l buy but not going to be easy to know what as got palm oil in until things change .

I have just watched this programme and was annoyed to see such shoddy journalism. You really should be ashamed.

You showed the forest being cleared and linked this directly with palm plantations. The fact is that of the land cleared allegedly for palm oil only 10% has been planted with palm trees. If you reduced the demand for palm to zero tomorrow the clearing of the forest would not be slowed by one single tree. The loggers are after the wood.

You barely mentioned sustainable palm oil and that was only to pick a hole in the way it works. Any average watcher would not understand this as they would not understand how the certificates system works or the pages of rules that need to be followed to be certified sustainable.

And finally to answer Maggie if you swallow websites by uneducated and disruptive NGOs then you do believe fairy tales. See the WWF site and get a balanced view. Whilst they accept things are a long way from perfect they are attempting to do something about it rather than just running around screaming "evil palm oil companies kill cute animals".

I was in Nothern Borneo late last year - same old same old - Palm Oil tree as far as you could see.
Did manage to see about 4 wild orangutangs though - but in the main the poor little things are in rehab centres.

We DO lok at what we buy but, as your programme pointed out, there's no way of telling.

I have an article for a regional magazine - out around May time - (circa 200,00) and need pictures of the devastation- any idea where I can get them from?

Keep up the good work!

Regards,

John

Dying for a Biscuit
At last a main stream programme at a main viewing time on
rainforest destruction.
But what is the Indonesian government doing?
Two exact examples illustrated in the programme of illegal clearance.
Any government action?
What happened to the 10 year old chained orangutan?
Bob Jones

I like to think I'm environmentally & ethically aware, however I feel I've let myself down lately. What last night's programme boils down to is supply chains & the average Joe Bloggs being in ignorant bliss of the impact of their daily consumption on the world.
Elephant 53's comments whilst I am sure are sound & awash with logic seem quite frankly heartless.
People are on the whole emotive and its this which creates the desire to make changes. I agree we need the facts, but I saw enough to know that if rainforests are being desimated for logging or palm oil then we as humans are the consumers & need to be aware of the impacts.
The same is happening all over for Corn etc etc I just cannot believe there is enough rainforests wherever in the world to sustain this rate of desimation & there needs to be global governance. Although I am not so naieve to not realise the practicalities of putting ethics over money is a long long way off. Will it ever be rebalanced in time is the question? Can we turn back global consumerism to live more simplistic lifestyles. Governments and global organisations would have us believe its progress, personally I think its regress.
Good luck to everyone who is trying hard to work for a sustainable future!

@Elephant53, who exactly is running around screaming "evil palm oil companies kill cute animals"? Your aggressive tone isn't helping, and your disingenuous assertions are misleading.

Land clearance benefits logging companies, absolutely, but you can't possibly believe that the only consideration behind it is the wood. Oil palm monoculture is a leading cause of forest clearance in South East Asia. Indonesia and Malaysia are responsible for 85% of palm oil production worth around $10bn alone.

You're absolutely right that the WWF are "attempting to do something about it" (they were a founder member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil), but even they acknowledge that only 2.5% of palm oil purchased so far is certified sustainable. Plenty of other reputable organisations are pointing out examples of land use conflict, illegal logging, and infringements of the rights of indigenous peoples, as well as serious problems with RSPO certification - or perhaps Friends of the Earth, Oxfam and Sawit Watch Indonesia are still uneducated and disruptive NGOs in your opinion.

Of course Panorama focussed on the plight of the orangutan as it is an attractive creature, closely related to us and likely to attract sympathy from the viewing public, but you know full well that the problems associated with palm oil go beyond "cute animals". I don't think you're in any position to criticise shoddy journalism.

Enjoyed the programme although I seriously hope that people don't fall into the trap of thinking that all palm oil is bad and production should be stopped. There is no doubt that there can be environmental benefits of palm oil use, the key is to try and ensure that the plantations are not on rainforest/peat lands and that they are managed sustainably.

There are a number of companies out there that really are trying to make a difference and the greatest benefit to the environment will not come from a boycott of all palm containing products, rather from a better understanding of which companies/brands are ignoring the threats and the avoidance of these. The WWF have recently issued a palm scorecard which may be of interest

@ orangutan outreach (Comment #4)
Your post is hidden apparently because it may have broken rules, I did not see it, but note the 大象传媒 will; I understand; not allow contact info to be included explicitly. The post may re-appear once the moderators look at and possibly edit it.

The bbc will however allow web-site addresses to be shown if appropriate or links to sites.
For instance I note a web search finds an apparently a US registered charity.

Thank you Natmandu for being the voice of reason. You obviously know your stuff & I just wish more people were aware of the impact of their daily choices regarding consumerism.
I also know that economies need to flourish but at what expense . . . . amazing creatures who have inhabited this earth before & alongside us & ultimately the expense of the planet we live on. We cannot afford to continue living in blissful ignorance, everything has a price & we need to know the true cost so informed choices can be made. I feel pretty sure the majority of the 'developed' world would think twice about their purchases & actions if they only had the facts. This doesn't take into account the rate of the developing worlds who want what we have but have even less education on global environmental & ethical issues, especially as many of the people are living day by day hand to mouth.
Things must change & programmes like this will help inform change.
How to reach the masses though?

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For more information about the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a multi-stakeholder organization with more than 425 members, and how it promotes the cultivation and uptake of sustainable palm oil worldwide, visit www.rspo.eu. The site brings news (such as the fact that market uptake of RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil is increasing rapidly) and answers to many questions, such as: "Wouldn't it be better to remove palm oil from consumer products altogether?" (The answer, in short: probably not.)

What is wrong with mankind? Have we always been like this, greedy and single minded in our approach to our surroundings? We are constantly and deliberatly destroying everything which stands in our way of so called progress. If what we have done and are continuing to do to this world, is justificatiion for the advancement of human kind I'm not sure I want to be a part of it. It's not the world that needs saving, it's mankind that needs saving from it's self.

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Using Pontianak, Borneo as a search criterion in Google Earth, it is easy to see what the extent of deforestation was at the time the photos were taken. It is undoubtedly worse now. The serried ranks of visible foliage can only be palm oil plantations, unless jungle has taken to growing in neat formations (rows and rectangles).

The idea of sustainable palm oil production is as ludicrous as humane fox hunting, or obesity being a responsible lifestyle choice. W4B must be brought to book for the obscene idea of two sustainable palm oil power stations at Avonmouth and Portland. If the projects are allowed to reach fruition, serious questions need to be asked. There is a General election coming up. Ask your MP what his or her opinion is. It's a start.

This was an excellent programme highlighting issues involved in the mass production of Palm Oil. I was very surprised to find that 'Flora' along with so many other food items contained Palm Oil - without actually saying so. The reason I think it is important that the Food Industry is clear about foods containing Palm Oil is that Palm Oil is a saturated fat and therefore not one that you would expect to be added to a product which says it is 'made with seed oils containing heart healthy Omega 3 & 6'. We are advised to cut down on butter because it is a saturated fat so why is a saturated fat an ingredient of Flora? Perhaps I should address this question to Unilever?

"Do check out this article "The Truth about Palm Oil" at:
[Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]

Contrary to popular misconception, tons of scientific studies have been done and reported in peer reviewed journals. Most of the studies show that a diet rich in palm oil is actually heart friendly and results in lowered serum cholesterol levels whilst boosting HDL (good) cholesterol levels!

To learn more go to: [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]

I was really surprised to see that such a prestigious channel like 大象传媒 would air a program which is so biased. This documentary only told one side of the story. The title and the sentimental story told and shown is clearly aimed at damaging the growing palm oil industry. Palm oil production has increased in the last 10 years and has become one of the major edible oils consumed in the world. It is the second largest crop of the world and almost every human being is consuming and benefiting from palm oil in one way or the other.

Documentaries such as these are extremely irresponsible. While Mr. Rowe was in Indonesia he would have also seen that millions of families get their livelihood from palm oil. This industry has helped to eradicate poverty both in rural Indonesia and Malaysia. I would like to ask the journalist what he proposes these millions of families do when such campaigns try to tarnish the image of palm oil and shut down these plantations.

I don鈥檛 disagree that the orangutan population was hurt in the past during expansion of palm oil plantations but boycotting palm oil is not the answer or solution. I really did not expect the 大象传媒 to let such a commercially instigated piece of 'journalism' exploit their platform.

I agree with some of the comments above about how this documentary does seem to be commercially motivated to discredit certain companies. While we do need to be environmentally friendly and protect any animal life that exists, we can also not say let's just stop producing palm oil. If that's the logic being followed, perhaps we should also stop using petroleum and other fuels. After all the fight for those affects human lives.
Since the lives of thousands of families would suffer if this kind of documentary was taken seriously, maybe the next documentary should be entitled "Dying for lack of livelihood".

A balance has to be struck between the needs of sustaining the environment and feeding the increasing millions. A one sided view either in favour of environment or feeding the increasing millions is by it self not sustainable. On the one hand if the environment is not sustained the increasing population cannot be sustained: on the other hand if the population is not sustained the environment will be of no use. It is true one has to look after the environment but then who will look after the millions in the Far East whose lively hood depends upon agriculture such as oil palm plantation.

The strident environmentalists/journalists should also come to India and see the fate of the farmers who live below the poverty line here. A major issue plaguing Indian policy makers is the alarmingly increasing rate of suicide amongst farmers. At least the oil palm cultivation in these countries has avoided the farmers there from facing the same fate as their brothers in India. I wish Indian agriculture could also provide similar opportunities to make a living to the Indian farmers.

I find the whole episode of the Dying for a Biscuit nothing but Baloney and it was not expected from the 大象传媒 to perfect the art of TRP generating stories. I believe the entire sequence of events has been sensationalised to the core and the facts are not just over looked but completely swept under the carpet. I do agree that the call of the hour is Environment but lets not forget the case of mutual symbiosis.
If we have to go by what Mr Rowe had to state that the rainforest, is being lost at a rate of two football pitches every minute then I guess the entire Indonesia would have been wiped out by now. Where did he get this information from? How have they authenticated the same? Who has officially surveyed the forest? Who has originally alleged the mishaps in the forest? Will somebody stand up and clear the facts or else we will just start assuming that 大象传媒 is now a part of a Soap Opera News Channel.

I am amazed at the emotional blackmail used in this 大象传媒 documentary. Yes the baby orangutans are very cute. Yes it鈥檚 very sad if they were being hurt in the process of palm oil cultivation. However such a simplistic overview as given by this documentary makes it all seem like some sort of propaganda. An unbiased documentary that highlights all aspects of palm oil plantations including the people who labor there, the environment and repercussions of everything would have been far more helpful.

We all love our rainforests, but saving them at the cost of human lively hood. I agree that we need to save our forests, but at the same time we can not say that just by cultivating plam we are destroying them. There are many other reasons for their destruction. 大象传媒 to just get some milage and higher TRP should not get into this type of reporting, where the entire truth is not shown. The story from both the sides should have been covered. If the plam cultivation is not done than maybe we will see the farmers in Far East dying and than maybe 大象传媒 will have to do a documentary on them. I do not expect 大象传媒 to go to this level. They should keepup their standard and only do actual reporting without being bais. If we start banning products for damaging the environment than maybe we shall have to go back to the stoneage. As with progress there is going to be some kind of changes in the environment.

Sustainable palm oil is already available and used in the UK. The sad fact is that there are still food producers who does not wants to use them due to the cost (is it worth it?) and / or public acceptance of palm oil.(will i risk losing my customers?)

All industries will have their bad sheeps. Similar to how palm can be perceived as not sustainable, other crops such as rapeseed, sunflower or olive oil can also have un-sustainable practices. The real question is can a few of these bad practices warrants the demonisation of an entire industry?

The next time we are in Indonesia, look at the number of its citizens hit hard by poverty. Palm oil plays a major role in not only ensuring its people have the means to survive, but also it helps to prevent families from giving away their kids due to poverty - children who will be orphans or vagabonds. Should we wish this fate on them?

Thus, it is important that articles, documentaries and commentaries on palm oil should have a balanced approach in its investigation so that it can help to shape opinion in a neutral manner.There is always both sides to a story.

The 大象传媒 reporting is clearly a very one-sided affair and they are obviously using the orang utan to stir the emotion of the audience to get them on their side. This issue is not as simple as a one plus two kind of thing, but is more complex than what have been portrayed on the screen. It is linked to the issues of poverty, starvation, unemployment and others, which the Indonesian don't expect most Brits, who are living a comfortable life to understand. Every sovereign country has the right the use their resources which they see fit, for the betterment of the citizen without interference from outsiders. Why can't 大象传媒 be more responsible and objective, and present the audience with both side of the story so that people who watch this documentary can make a better judgment.

Palm Oil = Deforestation?
As simple as that or we have simply missed out this important point here:
鈥淧alm Oil = Livelihood = Nutrition鈥濃��..
don鈥檛 forget that presently palm oil feed billions and is the global award recipient for its mankind contribution for 鈥渇ood security鈥�.

This is just propaganda that is play by NGOs for damaging palm oil market. The industry has taken drastic measures to save this species but it seems no effect, and oil palm plantation is still considered as orangutan killer.

I think if the NGOs and mastermind behind this issue could dominate world palm oil market and this golden oil mine come from their land. For sure this issue will not arise and all will vanish even if the destruction occurred in front of the eyes of the world.

if we all be fair not only can we secure the forest species but also cherish human generations present and future ....plsss revealed the good part about palm oil that rich with vitamin and multi uses in food production.

IMO this is much more than NGO propaganda! This is yet another attack on an Indonesian based oil palm producer that is NOT a major supplier of Unilever. Very convenient for the Unilever - Greenpeace alliance (sic from report linked below)... both look good at the cost of a far away industry (oil palm), a far away country (Indonesia) and a far away endangered species (orangutan).

Let me make an educated guess over who provided the "evidence" for this documentary: the same people who wrote the Unilever report. (Simply google 'unilever borneo' and one can download that report at [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]). The report's review of complex local issues (such as legality, conservation and peat) is shallow, selective and misleading.

Fly in yet another naive journalist from abroad, and add a bit of "adventure" by suggesting he could be deported. That ensures the journalist will not try to contact "the opposition". (The Dutch aired a similar story a few months ago, but used a blonde girl that didn't speak a word of Indonesian.) This ensures an ongoing dispute that suits the 'alliance' "green" looks and raises more money for their causes. Is this 大象传媒's investigative journalism at its best?

I am Indonesian and I have witnessed the destruction offer rainforest in West Borneo (Kapuas Hulu) last year. And now I moved to Sumatra and again watching another deforestation in the name of increasing regional income for the shake of evil palm oil which I illustrated it as a new gene of malaria that now climb up to the top of the mountain, because most of the tropical peatland and lowland forest have been converted into plantation.
I read the document as elephant53 attached in his comment above is RSPO (roundtable sustainable palm oil) documents, which I m personally don't believe.....it just another way to make excuse to expand the palm oil plantation.
Let's take look into the field...the company who join the RSPO such as sinar mas (a big PO plantation in Indonesia) when they try to expand their land, they will split into several small sub-companies...in which they give one (the weakest) to rspo to assess for HCVF (high conservation value forest) than if the area are fit the criteria of hcvf then they can sacrifice this area to be able to get the certificate from rspo stating that the company (Sinar Mas) has follow the rules to be sustainable without damaging the environment, event other sub-companies doesn't follow the rules at all.
Anyway....I am very grateful to the team who make "the making of dying for a biscuit", two thumbs up for you guys. You make the world eyes wide open.....thank you again in the name of Indonesian people especially to whom live in the area that loosing their livelihood or land to palm oil company.
Remember....palm oil not only destroy orang utan habitat...but also will increase global warming (20 % of global emission came from deforestation).

Hi Rapael, i saw an extract of your program on Dateline on SBS in Australia. Sorting out step by step end to end tracebility does not seem practical. I am probably naive, but if so many certified "sustainable" tonnes of palm oil are made in a month, then if all who purchase certified "sustainable" agree that when their combined purchase of palm oil reaches that tonnage, they will not purchase until the next month's tonnage, there is some chance of creating transperancy by auditing the source and with the honesty and good will at the end of the chain without having to sort out all the shenanigans in between. Anyway, thats for what it's worth; i wish you well in all your endeavours.

The topic is enlightening and I feel guilty of my innocence regarding the palm oil. After reading this, I came to know that palm oil is used as an ingredient in most processed foods. Still most of the people are unaware about this issue and it would be better to make some environmental awareness regarding the deforestation of forest and also about the critically endangered orangutans.


Thank you

Regards,

Do you think only orangutan is getting endangered? Due to our unawareness many rare animals are getting endangered. If this condition prevails, it鈥檚 sure that we will be unable to find many different species of animals. Palm oil is not only used as an ingredient for processed foods, but also used to create bio diesel. Indonesia is the largest producer of palm oil and orangutans are natives to Indonesia and Malaysia. Sustainable palm oils are available, but the food producers are not using them due to its high cost. We should stop consuming palm oil products for the sake of these endangered species.

posted by,

I would first like to thank you for creating awareness and diverting the attention of people towards the production of palm oil. It is of sure that through this many of us would have come to know the truth behind the production of palm oil. Immense destruction in rain forest has left many species of animal homeless and helpless. Seeing this, it is duty of every human to stop such destruction and save the species as well as the forest.
Thanks

It was a real shock to see that orangutans and hundreds of species are killed just for the sake of palm oil plantations. This program would have definitely created awareness among the people about the issue. Humans should feel ashamed for producing food products at the cost of the lives of innocent species and making them endangered. Now its time for us to save our forests and the orangutans.

Posted by,

Hi raphael,
what is the present condition of chingo and jojo. why still deforestation is not stopped. As a result of deforestation, many species of animals are in danger. many animals and birds have died. some steps has to be taken to avoid deforestation.

with regards